Double registration: Group tackles Melaye over calls for Bello’s resignation, blames INEC

AS the crisis generated by the alleged double voter registration by the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, continued, the Kogi Integrity Group (KIG), on Sunday, slammed the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state for calling for the resignation or impeachment of the governor.

The group also said it would be wrong to blame the governor for the incompetency of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asking the commission to effect the transfer of Bello’s registration from Abuja to Okene in Kogi state.

A statement by the president of the KIG, Dare Michael, said the call by the APC leaders through the senator representing Kogi west senatorial district, Dino Melaye, was wrong and a diversionary tactics.

He said rather than calling for resignation or impeachment of the governor, the senator and others should allow the people of the state and the country at large to judge after his four years tenure.

He said, “Governor Bello has four years mandate as well as Senator Dino; the whole world will adjudge both of them based on their scorecard. So, all these unnecessary attacks and infractions on individuals and Kogi Government are just mere tactics to cover his poor and woeful performance as a senator.

“We are saying enough is enough, we have heard and read of other senators in the same senate that are doing very well and making great impacts in the lives of their constituents and partnering with NEMA, NGOs and other relevant organisations”.

The group also alleged that the voter registration saga was politically motivated, saying some members of staff of the commission were being used.

The KIG said, “INEC as an independent institution is expected to be a politically neutral organisation without partisanship, but it is so sad that some selfish individuals among them have compromised and are being used as political miscreants to destabilise Kogi State.

“Governor Bello had requested for the transferred of his Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) from Abuja to Okene for over two to three years, but INEC has failed woefully in this regard as they were unable to get the transfer done without reason.

“One should then ask INEC how long does it takes to transfer PVC from one state to another; we see this as gross incompetence on the part of INEC. The system they used to siphoned billions of naira from our treasury cannot detect just double registrations talks less of multiple registrations.

“The registration system should have been automated system that can detect attempt of double registration and automatically reject it. This shows that INEC has failed in their responsibility and using Kogi State to do cover up”.